Intruder

Book Thirteen of Foreigner

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Overview

Civil war on the world of the atevi seems to be over, but diplomatic disputes and political infighting continue unabated. Bren Cameron, brilliant human diplomat allied with the dominant Western Association, has just returned to the capital from his country home on the coast. But his sojourn was anything but restful. Attacked by rebel forces hoping to kill not only him, but also Ilisidi, the grandmother, and Cajieri, the young son, of Tabini-aiji, the powerful head of the Western Association, Bren and his resourceful associates have had a small war of their own to contend with. And this small war has ended with a daring proposition: that their longtime enemy Machigi, having been double-crossed by his allies and approached by Ilisidi with an offer of alliance, will sign a trade agreement with her Eastern district-a situation which has upset both the rebels and the loyal north.

But Bren’s accustomed role as negotiator for Tabini, Ilisidi, and their associates has suddenly changed radically—for Machigi, to Bren’s utter shock, has evoked an ancient law. Bren wears the white ribbon that for the last few centuries has identified the single official human-atevi negotiator. But before humans landed, this white ribbon represented a specialized negotiator between atevi adversaries—a mediator who agreed to represent both sides with equal loyalty. These ancient mediators frequently ended up dead.

Now back in the capital, Bren finds that things are even more complicated than they previously were. He has now been put in the precaroius position of representing both Ilisidi and Machigi to the congress, and is becoming embroiled with both conservative and liberal factions. Meanwhile, Tabini-aiji is enraged to have lost the personal negotiator who has been his associate for decades, and is also jealous of any other party who stands to influence his young son. But there are even more dangerous things afoot, for Bren’s bodyguard has warned him there is a crisis inside the immensely dangerous Assassins’ Guild, and that the recent dustup with the Shadow Guild, a rebellious faction within the Assassins, may be only the beginning.

The long-running Foreigner series can also be enjoyed by more casual genre readers in sub-trilogy installments. Intruder is the 13th Foreigner novel. It is also the 1st book in the fifth subtrilogy.

Intruder

Praise

"One of the best long-running SF series in existence…. Cherryh remains one of the most talented writers in the field." — Publishers Weekly

"Some of the finest work of Cherryh’s long and distinguished career." — Locus

"My favorite science fiction series is C. J. Cherryh’s Foreigner Universe. Cherryh deftly balances alien psychology and human vanities in a character caught between being human and part of an alien race." — Denver Post

"The Foreigner series is about as good as it gets…so finely and densely wrought that you may end up dreaming of sable-skinned giants with gold eyes, and the silver spun delicacy of interstellar politics." — SFSite

"A seriously probing, thoughtful, intelligent piece of work, with more insight in half a dozen pages than most authors manage in half a hundred." — Kirkus

“Cherryh superbly crafts complex intrigues and alien races possessed of integrity, as well as a sense of otherness.” — Library Journal

“A large new Cherryh novel is always welcome…a return to the anthropological science fiction in which she has made such a name is a double pleasure…. Superlatively drawn aliens and characterization.” — Chicago Sun-Times

“Cherryh’s project is particularly impressive, not only because it has gone on for so many years and volumes, but because every partial mutual understanding gained by humans and atevi opens up new opportunities for misunderstanding (and vice versa).” —Locus

“Another beautifully woven tapestry in a mesmerizing series about a complex alien society. Ms. Cherryh’s expertise in world-building is again showcased in this masterpiece of protocol and intrigue that blends easily understood emotions with the intricacies of maneuvering that accompanies power struggles on a global scale.” —Night Owl Reviews

“One of the best long-running SF series in existence…Cherryh remains one of the most talented writers in the field.” —Publishers Weekly

“My favorite science fiction series is C. J. Cherryh’s Foreigner Universe. Cherryh deftly balances alien psychology and human vanities in a character caught between being human and part of an alien race.” —Denver Post

“The Foreigner series is about as good as it gets…so finely and densely wrought that you may end up dreaming of sable-skinned giants with gold eyes, and the silver spun delicacy of interstellar politics.” —SFSite

“Cherryh superbly crafts complex intrigues and alien races possessed of integrity, as well as a sense of otherness.” —Library Journal